


Dangan Ronpa: Despair Suite

by Bandtrees



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Fangan Ronpa, Gen, Illustrated, Kinda, Mild Hiatus, Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character-centric, please pardon editing of chapters for now, still tweaking stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-02-22 19:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13173564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bandtrees/pseuds/Bandtrees
Summary: Despite being the Ultimate Oracle, Kasumi Nakamura can see no hope in his classmates' futures.Sixteen talented Ultimates, brought into a closed-off hotel building with little to no memory of being taken there to begin with, are now forced into some sick sort of killing game.What kind of way to start the school year is this?Currently in: Chapter 1: Empty Constellations (DAILY LIFE)Also on a hiatus, at least for now, as I polish the story and stuff some more ^^" Might take down and reupload or just tweak things here and there. Sorry in advance, I just want this to be as good as possible!





	1. Prologue: Looking Into A Despair-Filled Future (1)

When someone hears the term "Ultimate", it's hard to think of a person with that sort of title being a regular high school student. But at the end of the day, they're no different from any other fifteen or sixteen year old, just that they're particularly prodigious and were lucky (or unlucky) enough to be scouted by the government. They're still kids, no matter what odd talent or name they've made for themselves.

They can feel hurt and despair just like everyone else.

\----

Nakamura knew he shouldn't have gotten out of bed that morning. There was an overwhelming sense of dread when he woke, like an anvil pressing down hard on his body but not enough to break a bone. Only a hard, smothering pressure of anxiety that made him want to vomit then and there. He should have trusted his gut feelings, especially given his Ultimate Oracle title, but he didn't.

He had pushed it off as his brain acting up, as a spike in his sour mental health. While that was understandable at the time, now that he was actually going through that predicted dread, there was nothing he hated more than his past self and his decision to leave the house that morning.

But then again, how could he have predicted that something like this would happen? Was this a punishment he deserved for thinking he might have one good day? Was the world truly as sour as his mind would have him believe?

He didn't know.

He could blame himself all he wanted, but now that he was in this situation, there was no way to take it back.

......

"You're seriously just gonna leave?"

A voice suddenly cut through Nakamura's thoughts. It was a male voice, but lighter and higher than his own. He didn't think he recognized it... Perhaps this was a medical facility, having found him lost consciousness? He felt stiff. How long had he been out for?

"We don't have time to sit around and wait for everyone." A smoother and calmer voice replied. "He isn't going to choke on his tongue if we leave him alone, is he?"

Okay, scratch that. Nakamura didn't think doctors spoke like that about their patients. Besides, those voices, now that he thought about it, sounded like they were around his age...

"W-well-" the first voice stammered. "No, but. He's as confused as the rest of us, isn't he? Would you like to be left alone in this situation?"

What on earth was going on? Were these people the same as him? He had to wake up. He had to. He tried wiggling his toes first, maybe it'd wake up the rest of him...

There was a sigh from the second voice as they left the room, and as Nakamura tried his best to wake himself up, a third voice chimed in.

"Oh! He's waking up now!"

Nakamura's eyes slowly opened, greeted by two blurry... people...? standing above him. The one on the right, a pale person with long black hair, grabbed him by the shoulders and ungracefully dragged him to his feet. Still wobbly, Nakamura stumbled and fell backwards again, thankfully hitting something plush behind him. Groaning, he looked up, sight still cloudy.

He turned his head, looking to see he'd landed on a white couch. He rubbed his eyes and stood up again, vision unblurring, and finally caught his surroundings.  
The two people in front of him, both boys, differed in height and complexity. The one that helped him to his feet was taller and paler, with long black hair tied in a braid across the back of his head. He wore a red jacket over a white dress shirt, both of which looked neat and expensive. There were silver pins in his jacket, the most notable of which being one shaped like a rose over his heart. Despite his somewhat threatening black and red color scheme, his face looked concerned for Nakamura, and even familiar somehow...

The other boy was shorter and skinnier, and had attractively messy green hair. His skin was darker than both Nakamura and the other boy's, and for a moment Nakamura wondered if he was a foreigner. Freckles covered his face, and as Nakamura looked him up and down, he found his hands and legs were also covered. The puffy sleeves of his brown and white sweater vest reached the bases of his fingers, and a red tie showed beneath his brown vest. Oddly enough, he wore dark brown suspenders, and had a belt with what appeared to be small bags of grain clipped to it. The right suspender strap was casually thrown off his shoulder.

The room they were in looked something like a lobby for a hotel- the carpet was a soft red color with darker designs, and the rest of the room shared the same color scheme. There were couches, tables, and even something that looked like a dining room just around another corner. There was a large black panel near the center of the area that let out soft ripples of water that flowed into round stones at the bottom, resembling an indoor waterfall.

The general aesthetic of the room was welcoming and cozy, but given Nakamura's current situation, not to mention the apparent lack of staff, it filled him with uneasiness.

"Are you okay?" the long-haired boy asked, placing a hand on Nakamura's shoulder. Nakamura had to take a moment to gather his bearings, but eventually nodded.

"Just... out of it."

"Can you tell us your name?" The suspender-wearing boy asked, pale green eyes wide with concern, and Nakamura honestly felt bad for making such a cute-looking boy worry so much about him.

Nakamura nodded, brushing a strand of light brown hair out of his face. "I'm Kasumi Nakamura." He greeted, wishing he could look more presentable for someone who just fell into a couch.  
The long-haired boy crossed his arms, putting a hand beneath his chin. "It's... nice to meet you, Nakamura." He smiled and nodded. "This might be an odd question, but... do you have an Ultimate talent? From Hope's Peak Academy?"

"Why? Are you all Ultimates, too?" Nakamura tilted his head, taking a moment to roll up the sleeves of his purple jacket. What the green-haired kid responded with surprised him.

"Yup. There are sixteen of us total, all Ultimates."

Nakamura blinked, suddenly acutely aware of his situation. Were they being held for ransom? But why in a comfortable hotel? What was the purpose of this? Regardless, he needed to give his talent and learn about the other students. Something was deeply, deeply wrong, but they couldn't get out of the situation if they didn't know anything.

"I'm the Ultimate Oracle."

The rich-looking black-haired boy nodded. "My name is Kazuya Suzuki, the Ultimate Romance Novelist. I hate to meet under such dire circumstances, but any meeting of a friend is a good one in my book." He smiled, extending a hand for Nakamura to shake.

That was where Nakamura recognized him! While not a particular fan of romance, it was hard not to stumble across Suzuki's work, as his novels were critically acclaimed, especially given his young age. He also took part in social activism, and definitely made his opinions known through his work.

Nakamura smiled, shaking Suzuki's hand in a way he hoped was approachable. Suzuki smiled back and laughed a bit, withdrawing his hand suddenly.  
The other boy present looked between Nakamura and Suzuki, and when he had both their attention, introduced himself as well. "Me, I'm, ah... Teoya Nakishimi. I'm the Ultimate Ornithologist." He grinned a wide grin, then added "That's the study of birds."

Suzuki clasped his hands together. "How fascinating, Teoya!"

Teoya was a complete stranger to Nakamura, but then again he didn't exactly research ornithologists in his spare time. Regardless, his talent was impressive, and he seemed like a nice enough boy.

"Well," Teoya started, suddenly straightening. "It was nice to meet you, Kasumi! Kazuya! I'm gonna go look for the others now." He smiled, wandering off down a hallway. "See you!" he called back, and then vanished up a flight of stairs near the hall's end. He seemed to know his way around, at least.

Suzuki watched Teoya walk off, and shook his head. "What an odd guy. He's very sweet, though." Nakamura nodded, and Suzuki turned to him. "Could you look for the others with me?"

"It's better than going off separately." Nakamura replied, taking Suzuki's outstretched hand. The other boy grinned.

"Onwards and upwards, then! To the other Ultimates!"

There was very little Nakamura knew of his current situation. The idea of being involved in a plot for ransom or something similar terrified him, but it wasn't like he could hide from that concept forever. The least he could do is gather all the information he could and try and find a way out.

\----

Upon climbing a set of stairs, Suzuki and Nakamura were greeted by another hallway lined with rooms, each numbered with plates near the top. The hallway had matching red design carpet with the lobby, and the doors themselves looked like any other.

The hall was devoid of people, sadly enough, but there was a door near the end that very clearly stuck out. It was larger, with a black and neon pattern not unlike a bowling alley's carpet, and upon closer inspection, bore a large label reading "Game Room".

Nakamura glanced at Suzuki, who shrugged. "Go ahead." He let go of Nakamura's hand, following him inside the brightly-colored room.

The sign did not lie. This room was, in fact, a game room, and much larger than the door would suggest. The wallpaper was black (or perhaps a dark gray) with numerous rainbow patterns along it. Claw machines with plush toys and other goodies were lining one wall, old arcade games lining the other. The center of the room had two tables for table hockey, one of which was occupied by a single boy batting the blue striker from side to side. He stopped and turned his head to look at the two in the doorway when they entered.

"Hey."

"Um... hey." "Hello!"

The first thing Nakamura noticed about this guy is that he was really muscular. Or, at least, moreso than himself and Suzuki, who weren't exactly the pinnacles of fitness. His face was framed by dark red hair held up in a messy bun by a dark purple band, and he wore a long white coat. There was a dark blue shirt underneath with a design that was obscured by the coat, but it looked like a skull from what Nakamura could see. The white name tag on his coat read 'Keisuke', which Nakamura could only assume was his surname.

"You two students, too?" Keisuke asked, before turning back to the air hockey table. "I dunno why we decided to scatter like this." He grumbled. "We could've just introduced ourselves all at once instead of going off and doing our own thing. We'll never meet everyone at this rate." He shook his head.

Suzuki tilted his head at the other boy, confused. "You must have been fine with scattering, since you're here now and not in the lobby."

"Alright, fuckin' wiseass." Keisuke's yellow eyes narrowed in annoyance as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and continued to bat the striker back and forth.

Nakamura was starting to dislike this person, but then again, he couldn't blame him for being stressed in this sort of situation. None of them seemed to know what was going on, and Nakamura was lucky enough to be woken up by two relatively calm characters. The same couldn't realistically be said for the thirteen other students in this building, so some lashing out was to be expected, and blaming someone for being angry in this sort of crazy scenario was ludicrous, but...

"Who are you, anyway?" Suzuki asked, extending a hand for Keisuke to shake. He nodded and forced a polite smile. "I'm Kazuya Suzuki, Ultimate Romance Novelist! And this here is Kasumi Nakamura! He's the Ultimate Oracle."

Keisuke sighed, turning and shaking the novelist's hand, but making a show out of how reluctant he was to do so. "Masato Keisuke. Ultimate Biostatistician. Are we done here?"

Nakamura tried his best to not look surprised. His lab coat aside, Keisuke didn't seem like the kind of person to be a biostatistician, but then again, it wasn't right to judge a book by its cover. Keisuke wasn't as harsh as he let on, then, if he was prolifent enough in health service research to be considered an Ultimate.

"That's really cool, Keisuke." Nakamura complimented with a nod. Keisuke's eyes seemed to light up for a moment, and his scowl turned into a proud smirk. "It really is, isn't it?"

After saying their goodbyes and refusing a game of air hockey, Suzuki and Nakamura were on the move again. Across the Game Room was another hallway, with more rooms lining the walls. Upon turning, however, there was a large glass door that, while the image was slightly distorted through the glass, entered to an indoor pool area. The two entered, and Suzuki seemed to immediatedly zone in one of the students pacing around the pool.

Nakamura didn't even have time to follow Suzuki's gaze as he let out an excited "KALIDAAAA!!" and broke into a sprint. The small pink-haired girl he was running towards, Kalida apparently, was barely able to react before Suzuki tackled her with a tight hug, shoving them both into the pool with a massive splash. The two resurfaced a second later, Suzuki's long black hair absolutely drenched and mostly covering his face now. The girl, surprisingly to Nakamura, laughed loudly and hugged Suzuki, before crawling out of the pool and wringing her braids out.

While she was dripping wet, Nakamura could tell Kalida's outfit and general style. Her short pale pink hair was fluffed out with braids on each side, held at the end by red ribbons. She had a dark blue jacket, a frilly white shirt underneath, and a short dark blue skirt with waistlength buttons. She wore a red-and-black checkered tie, and was retreiving a similarly colored cap from the pool water, no doubt flung off when she was rather ungracefully pushed in.

"Do you two...know eachother?" Nakamura's eyebrow raised, glancing between Suzuki and Kalida. It felt like a fairly obvious question, but it wouldn't hurt to ask regardless. The other soul by the poolside, a tall white-haired boy, was quietly snickering.

"Of course we do!" Suzuki grinned, throwing his arm around the much shorter Kalida's shoulder. "This is my best friend, Kalida, no doubt chosen as an Ultimate for her awesome composite sketches!" Kalida smiled at the compliment, removing her jacket to wring it out.

"Composite sketches...?" Nakamura inquired. "The art they use to find criminals?"

"Yup, that's me." After making sure her coat and cap were adequately dry, she put them back on. "Chiyoko Kalida. Ultimate Forensic Artist. And what do you do?"

"I'm Kasumi Nakamura. Ultimate Oracle. Not super much of a talent, but--"

"That's so cool!" Kalida interrupted, clasping her hands. "A clairvoyant! There have been instances of oracles solving cold cases with their abilities, did you know? You should be prouder of your talent, Nakamura. It can really help people one day."

"Indeed, someone with those kinds of abilities shouldn't underestimate themselves." The taller white-haired boy cut in, approaching the group. So far, Nakamura had been the tallest of his classmates, but this lanky, pale boy towered over him. His long white hair was straight and reached his back, parted along the middle to show his forehead. His neck and chest were covered by a large dark green scarf, which appeared to be torn and restitched multiple times, and was likely big enough to serve as a hood as well. Underneath the scarf, Nakamura could spot a white robe, with a long gray hakama that reached his feet. When he looked back up at the boy's face, something surprising poked out from under the scarf.

"What th- is that a _snake?_ Why do you have a _snake?"_ Nakamura had tried a lot thus far to be accepting of his classmates and understanding of their sometimes odd antics, but _holy shit this guy had an actual viper in his scarf._

"Not just any snake." The boy hummed with a smile, reaching towards the snake to stroke its nose with no concern whatsoever for his own safety. "Her name is Suki. She is my beloved companion, a night adder. While I understand snakes are feared in many cultures, Suki has feelings too, and I insist you treat her with kindness." The boy's gaze suddenly darkened, and his light smile turned into a creepy one. _"Or else."_

Nakamura hesitantly asked, "She's not going to, like, bite us, is she?"

The boy shook his head. "You need not worry, Nakamura. Your flesh would be of no interest to either of us." Nakamura was slightly taken aback that this boy knew his name, but then remembered he had been overhearing his conversation with Suzuki and Kalida... and wait, what was that last bit again...? "I have her trained. I am the Ultimate Snake Charmer, after all."

"Isn't snake charming just a street performance thing...?" Kalida asked, in the process of undoing her braids. "I mean, not to bash your talent or anything."

"It is an inherited practice, and holds cultural significance to many people. While it is a street performance, it also shouldn't be reduced to just that." The boy spoke calmly, his odd smile not wavering. Then he stopped for a moment, as if remembering something urgent. "Oh dear, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My apologies. My name is Shin Sadako. It's very nice to meet you all."

"You too, Sadako." Nakamura replied, stepping back. While he definitely respected Sadako's talent, he didn't want to get any closer to 'Suki'.

"Should we get going, Nakamura?" Suzuki asked, with a towel in hand for drying his hair. The Ultimate Oracle nodded, slightly more at ease with at least one familiar face around. Above all, though, he was glad him nor his classmates had come to any sort of harm so far. While this situation was definitely odd, it couldn't be anything incredibly sinister, as there would be no point in placing the students in a cozy hotel.

Right?


	2. Prologue: Looking Into A Despair-Filled Future (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Ultimates to meet! Also arguments about Shakespeare.

There wasn't much more to explore by the poolside, so Nakamura's only option (after Suzuki finished wringing out his hair, anyway) was to head back into the halls. Aside from more room doors- it seemed this place was an actual hotel, not just for the Ultimates, but the doors not in use were forever locked -there was a gym area. In any other circumstance, Nakamura would be avoiding the gym like a plague, but it was necessary for the investigation. Deciding it was a needed sacrifice, the two entered the room. Similarly to the Game Room, the fitness center was much larger than it appeared from the door. It didn't hold the overpowering sweat smell most gyms did- rather this one looked and felt completely new. The equipment was shiny, and Nakamura found its sheer cleanness a little offputting.

It was completely empty aside from a single boy sat by the corners who seemed even less intent on exercising than Nakamura and Suzuki, if his outfit was any indication. He was wearing a dark purple night robe that matched his ruffled purple hair. He had pajama bottoms beneath the robe, and had no shoes or socks on. Aside from the headphones resting on his neck, it looked like he had just rolled out of bed.

He didn't see the two newcomers, intent as he was on some magazine Nakamura wasn't sure where he'd gotten. Nakamura felt he should've been left alone, but had no chance to voice his opinion as Suzuki coughed to get the boy's attention. He jolted in surprise, and slowly looked up from his magazine. "...hi."

He didn't seem intent on talking at the moment, but Suzuki was either oblivious to that or simply having none of it. "We're going around trying to meet everybody. Who are you?"

The boy yawned and rubbed his eyes. Was he really that tired? "Uh... Kotobuku Masu." He turned back to his magazine, quickly adding on. "I'm the Ultimate Podcaster."

"Ultimate Podcaster?" Nakamura cut in.

"Yeah." Masu stifled another yawn and continued. "I'm only really into it when I'm at my studio. I just get really burned out anywhere else." His voice sounded exhausted and, if Nakamura was to be honest, didn't sound like that of any podcaster, much less an Ultimate Podcaster. "I'm good at it, though. Promise."

"Oh, I don't doubt it!" Suzuki smiled. "It's _so_ nice to meet you, Masu! My name is Kazuya Suzuki, and I'm--"

Masu was gone before the black-haired boy could even finish his introduction, back to being enveloped in his magazine. Suzuki was about to open his mouth to call him out, but Masu quickly put on his headphones and shut away any chance of further conversation. Suzuki stomped his foot in frustration, but Nakamura just shrugged.

"We can talk to him later," said Nakamura. "There are... sixteen students here, right? We can't waste forever on one person." Besides, it seems we'll be staying here for a while. The classmates Nakamura had met thus far seemed nice enough, and walking around with Suzuki was fun, but the feeling that something was wrong never left his mind.

Suddenly, another door slammed open, and into the fitness room skipped a teal-eyed boy in a matching cardigan. He flashed the three other boys a wide grin. "Hello, peasants! You have been graced with Our presence!" He twirled on his toes, his blue checkered cape fluttering dramatically, and strode over to Nakamura and Suzuki. His dark blue cape was held by a golden flower-shaped pin, and his short, straight blue hair fanned out at the ends.

Seeing Nakamura's confusion, the boy huffed and crossed his arms. "Why are you not bowing? You are in the presence of royalty!" There was, indeed, a small yellow crown with red gems atop this boy's head, but it was hard to believe for even a second that this kid was actual royalty... right? Regardless, Suzuki humored the boy with a small bow of the head. His tolerance for other's weirdness knew no bounds, apparently.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Suzuki greeted, and Nakamura didn't have much of a choice but to do the same.

"Fufufufu! That's a given!" The boy let out a hearty laugh. "Who wouldn't be pleased to meet Us? We are the great and majestic Hikobishi Kintaro! The wondrous tales We've spun are known all over the world!"

"He's a manga writer." Masu clarified, deadpan as ever as he flipped through the magazine. "He's got quite the ego for one, though." He added, quieter, but it did not go unnoticed by Kintaro, who replied with "An ego We are right to have!"

"Are you the... Ultimate Mangaka?" Suzuki asked, earning a boisterous laugh from Kintaro.

"Indeed!! How wonderful it is to be recognized by a civilian! But who wouldn't know Us, after all?"

Nakamura had ...no godly idea what to think about Kintaro. He seemed nice enough- massive ego aside, and even then it seemed more like a quirky overconfidence than anything actually endangering -but didn't sound like someone Nakamura could see himself voluntarily spending a lot of time with. Regardless, it was important to stay together in times as suspicious and potentially dangerous as these.

Leaving the fitness room, the two's next encounters were found in the hotel's courtyard and garden areas. Up to this point, Nakamura had been focusing more on the people than the aspects of the building, but something about the courtyard was hard to avoid. There was no sky. No sun. It was completely indoors- natural grass and flora but white opaque glass doming the area shut. How the flowers and grass had grown in these conditions were a mystery to both him and Suzuki, but it definitely cemented the idea that they were all completely trapped inside.  
For what reason, though, was still yet to be found, but Nakamura was dreading to learn what it was more and more.

"Who would spend so much time doing this...?" Suzuki asked, shaking his head. "I don't understand." He stepped into the courtyard, following the concrete path towards a fountain. Two girls were in the courtyard, though on opposite sides and not talking to the other. Both of them had airs that practically screamed leave me alone, but Suzuki was not to be deterred, and by extension neither was Nakamura.

The girl sat on the edge of the fountain was reading a manga, twirling a strand of dyed hair around her finger. Her straight shoulder-length blond hair was curled at the ends, two streaks on both sides of her hair light blue and pink, respectively. Her dark blue schoolgirl uniform had a tattered skirt reaching her ankles, and she wore a blue mask of the same color with a pink and blue heart design over her mouth. She narrowed her brown eyes when Suzuki approached with a sigh, knowing what he was here for. With the most reluctant wave Nakamura had ever seen in his life, the girl spoke.  
"Name's Natsuko Amara. Ultimate Sukeban."

"Oh! I think I know-" Nakamura suddenly cut in. "You're the leader of Japan's biggest girl gang, right? Or one of them?" Amara's name was indeed one he'd heard before- a terrifying delinquent schoolgirl iconically seen in the middle of gang wars and known for a penchant for violence. Definitely not a person he'd expected to meet at all, much less in a place like this.

"That's me." She fixed a glare on Nakamura, fist tightening. "Are we done here? I honestly couldn't care less about meeting more people."

Suzuki smiled sheepishly. "Hey, but-"

"Fuck off." Amara practically snapped, cutting off any chance of further conversation unless Suzuki or Nakamura didn't mind their heads being bashed in with baseball bats.

The other girl across the courtyard, tending to the garden area, somehow seemed even less interested in social interaction. Her slightly frazzled gray hair reached her upper back, curling as it framed her face. Upon approaching her, Nakamura could see she had a flower crown of lilies atop her head. She wore a frilly, fancy dark green dress with a rose design on the skirt, and wore short black rubber gloves as she worked with the garden's flowers. The large purse over her shoulder was made of white leather, and face-down in the soil.

Nakamura tapped on her shoulder to get her attention, and she jolted in surprise before looking up at him. He could see her eyes had dark circles beneath them, and her irises a gray-green color. "...what is it...?" Her voice was low and quiet, and shifted her position on the ground to sit in a more comfortable position.  
"Who're you?"

The girl ground her teeth in annoyance, before looking back down. "Yumina Ulmus. Ultimate Gardener. Plants are my passion." She spoke in a monotonous but shaky tone, and, unlike Amara, seemed to almost fear Nakamura rather than simply act annoyed by his presence. "C-can you go now?"

Realizing her discomfort, he stepped back with an apology. He could introduce himself later if needed. He turned back to Suzuki, who was surveying the various flora and trees in the courtyard, no doubt just as perplexed as Nakamura as to how they were growing. Holding the leaf of a fern in one hand, he was pinching it with a polished black fingernail as if checking if it was real.

"Not all plants need sun to grow." Yumina cut in, not looking up from her small garden. " _Dracaena_ and _Bromeliad_ are such plants. Some can grow in fluorescent light." She pointed her gloved hand up to the courtyard's ceiling. She shook her head. "It is strange though. Regardless."

"Eh. Could be plastic or something." Amara shrugged from her spot on the fountain, closing her manga. "We'll figure something out. Whatever." She stood and walked out of the courtyard through the door Suzuki and Nakamura came in from, her dress shoes clicking against the concrete path.

"We should head out too." Nakamura turned to the Romance Novelist and headed out of the courtyard, both waving goodbye to Amara and Yumina. Back in the hallways, the next door they came across was to a ballroom. Or at least, one of them- there were two similar doors, but one was sadly locked.

The ballroom itself was somewhat large, with metal chairs propped up along the walls as if preparations for the day of a show. The general aesthetic of the area was a pale blue, with glass globes strung from the ceiling as decoration. A massive stage was at the far end of the room, the white curtains closed. Sat together at the stage's end were two students- a boy and a girl -having a conversation.

The boy immediatedly perked up upon noticing the two and dropped his sentence partway through to hop down from the stage and rush over. "Heeeeyyy!!!" He excitedly waved his hands in the air as he ran towards Nakamura and Suzuki, and was significantly shorter than them both up close. There was a wide grin on his face...  
...or, at least, what Nakamura could see of it. There was half of a white mask covering the right side of his face, and Nakamura could recognize it as a simpler version of a Greek comedy mask.

"Hellooo!" The boy beamed. He had sleek red hair and freckles, a frilly white button-up shirt showing beneath a light black jacket. There was another tan flannel jacket wrapped around his waist. "I haven't seen you around yet!" He clasped his hands together, practically exuding positive energy. Nakamura inwardly wondered how this kid would clash with someone like Keisuke or Amara.

"I'm Atsuhi Aimoto, the Ultimate Thespian!" Aimoto swayed and twirled on his feet, and Nakamura got the idea that it was practically impossible for him to stay still. "What's your names~?"

Nakamura felt honestly threatened by Aimoto's amount of energy and enthusiasm, but straightened his posture and raised his voice to try and match it at least somewhat. "Um, it's... it's Kasumi Nakamura. I'm the Ultimate Oracle. It's nice to meet you."

"You too! Aaaand..." Aimoto twirled on his heels to face Suzuki. "What about you?" He practically jabbed a finger into Suzuki's chest. "Who are _you_?" The Ultimate Romance Novelist nervously laughed, stepping back from the significantly more bubbly Ultimate Thespian.

The other girl sat at the edge of the stage lightly laughed, hopping down and brushing off her long skirt. She was very pale, and her fluffy purple hair curled bore light blue hairpins. Her face was the only skin she showed, with dark purple gloves, lighter arm warmers, long sleeves on both her jacket and undershirt, and a skirt that reached her feet. A pinkish-red scarf was wrapped around her neck as well, giving her an overall very bundled appearance.

She politely waved to Nakamura, as Suzuki was clearly occupied excitedly talking with Aimoto. She adjusted her scarf with a light smile. "Hello. I...don't think we've met yet." She seemed calmer in demeanor than Aimoto did, at least. "If you don't mind me introducing myself, I'm Toru Orikaeshi. Ultimate Choir Director." She held out one of her gloved hands, smile widening a bit. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, you too." Nakamura smiled back, firmly shaking her hand. "Choir director?" He inquired. "Like... church choirs?"

Orikaeshi shook her head, moving her scarf again. Was she that intent on remaining covered up? "Not exactly- well, sometimes, yes, but more often than not I help out school choirs. Not as a full-fledged teacher, mind you, I don't exactly have the requirements, but I'll work with a certain section if the others are busy with concerts and such, or help out the teacher." She paused, and her polite smile turned to a sheepish one as she rubbed the back of her head. "...I suppose that makes me more of a teacher's aide than anything else."

"I don't think so. You're still the Ultimate Choir Director, aren't you? You're just not old enough to become an actual teacher. Like, uhh..." Nakamura took a moment to think on the names of everyone he'd met thus far. "Like Keisuke! He's the Ultimate Biostatistician, but he's still in high school."

Orikaeshi seemed to think for a moment, before her regular smile returned. "I suppose you're right. I'm sorry if I appeared pessimistic."

Their rather peaceful conversation was cut through by an intense declaration of "Romeo and Juliet was _not_ a love story!" Nakamura and Orikaeshi turned to see an annoyed Aimoto lecturing Suzuki on Shakespeare.

But the Ultimate Romance Novelist was not to be deterred. "A love story can still have tragedy- it's disrespectful to the romance genre to assume they are all the same story. First and foremost, it is meant to be a love story, and its ending does not keep it from being one."

" _Six people died!_  Shakespeare is a tragedy writer, and the portrayal of Romeo and Juliet's infatuation was obviously _satirical!_ " While only half of Aimoto's face was visible, he looked deeply frustrated.

"Two people falling in love that quickly would be considered satirical now, but it was written in the 1500s, when life expectancies were significantly shorter, and society as a whole's attitude towards romance was different."

Nakamura felt a light nudge on his shoulder, and he saw a smirking Orikaeshi. "I feel like I'm watching history in the making." She said, gesturing to the two.

"Is that what's happening?" Nakamura asked, before taking nervous steps towards a fuming Suzuki. "Hey, uh, Suzuki? We still have to meet the others..." He was honestly a little terrified of tearing those two apart from their debate, but Nakamura was not entirely intent on staying in the ballroom all day and watching two of his classmates argue in circles about the genre of Romeo and Juliet.

Suzuki seemed to jolt, as if surprised that Nakamura and Orikaeshi were still in the room. He straightened, looking away from Aimoto and twirling the silver rose-shaped pin on his jacket. "I- right, yeah. Sorry." As he approached Nakamura to rejoin him, he shot Aimoto a look that clearly said _this is not over._

Leaving the ballroom, Nakamura bid its two occupants farewell. If Teoya was right, there were four more students in this building to go and talk to. But... what were they going to do once they were all together? Were there going to be any answers? He tried his hardest to keep the concern at the back of his mind and focus on talking to new potential friends, but he couldn't just ignore the most pressing issue.

"Are you okay, Nakamura?" Nakamura was jostled from his thoughts by Suzuki's voice, and he saw the boy in question looking up at him with visible concern. "We can go and sit down if you're tired."

The Ultimate Oracle shook his head. "No, it's... it's okay. I thought I saw a restaurant nearby?"

But for now, at least, there were more students to find. Whatever was going to happen, it was nothing a group of Ultimates couldn't get through together. They would all get through this odd experience and come out the other ends as friends and classmates.

That's what Nakamura believed.


	3. Prologue - Looking Into A Despair-Filled Future - 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special long chapter, as I decided to keep the amount of prologue chapters to 3.
> 
> Nakamura meets the last few students, and finally the situation comes to light...

The emptiness of this hotel's rooms would never not be unnerving to Nakamura. The restaurant especially, while it had the smell and feel of a cozy restaurant from back home, the quiet of the area and absence of staff or customers made it deeply unnerving rather than comforting. It didn't feel right at all, to say the least.

"This is just so weird..." Nakamura sighed, taking the atmosphere of the room in. There was a bar here and everything, the cups stacked as if the staff just booked it after cleaning and never returned. It hadn't really occurred to him before, but what could have even happened to this building? It clearly was used prior to the arrival of the students, but what happened between then and everyone being taken here?

And why?

Near the back, talking in a booth, were two other students. The one sat by the aisle stood and made her way to the exit, only to be stopped by walking directly into Nakamura's chest with a dull thump. "Ah shit, sorry." she mumbled, looking up for a second before pushing past him and continuing on her way.

"Hey, before you go!" Suzuki started. "What's your name?"

The girl turned to look at the two. She was short and fat, with dark brown skin and darker hair tied into a large curly ponytail. She had deep, dark circles beneath her eyes, similar to Yumina. "Uh, sure." She shrugged, rolling up the ends of her black sweater jacket. "Name's Bisuko Asora. Ultimate Comedian. Nice to meet ya."

"A comedian?" Suzuki raised an eyebrow in what at first appeared to be a look of disapproval, but then a smile formed on his face that he excitedly brought his hands to, red eyes shining. "Could you ever do a show for us?"

"Not for free." Asora gave him a wink, and then paused for a moment as if expecting a laugh. None came, and her face dropped as she brushed a curl behind her ear. "Tough crowd, huh? That wasn't really meant to be a joke anyway."

Nakamura honestly couldn't tell.

"Either of you have any idea what's goin' on?" Asora continued. "I mean, it's definitely not anything good, regardless, but... y'know." She clicked her tongue in irritation. "Good or bad, I just... hope we'll get some answers soon. This really ain't fun, just sitting here waiting for shit to go down."

"I don't really like it either." A third voice chimed in, belonging to the other girl sat in the booth, with her head in her hands. She dragged them dramatically down her face as she looked to the others, yellow eyes scanning the unresponsive crowd. "Any theories, or nah?"

Nakamura opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came. Did he really... have any ideas? He'd assumed this was a ransom plot, but the more he thought about it the less that concept made sense, the main hole in that idea being the fact that they were in a hotel. If this was just some maniac kidnapping Ultimates for money, Nakamura couldn't imagine them going through the effort of stocking and cleaning an empty hotel building. Was this just some untold entrance exam Hope's Peak put together? No, that... didn't really make sense either. In the end, he just offered the girl a shrug and defeated shake of the head.

"We're all in the same boat, then. Damn." She sighed, shifting in her seat so she wasn't so slouched. Nakamura could see her clothing a little better- she wore a black and white striped apron over a black V-neck shirt. Black and white seemed to be this girl's entire aesthetic, save for her eyes.

"We'll figure something out, though!" Suzuki said with a grin, trying to lighten the situation. "What's your name, by the way?"

The white-haired girl got up out of her seat, approaching Suzuki and Nakamura. "It's Kai Oniyuri, I'm the Ultimate Hairdresser by the way." Her messy hair was not an indicator of that, but okay. She turned to Suzuki with a grin and finger guns. "Really diggin' your black-and-red look, too. Suuuper sexy."

The Ultimate Romance Novelist froze immediatedly, face turning a deep pink color. "What? Oh, uh, sorry, I, uh... don't..."

Oniyuri cackled, giving him her hand to shake. "Nah, it's chill, just a joke. Me neither." She brought her hand back, stuffing it into one of the pockets of her black sweatpants. "What do you guys do?"

Suzuki cleared his throat, fidgeting with his hair as if still trying to ride off that awkward moment. "Uh, I'm Kazuya Suzuki. Ultimate Romance Novelist. I wrote _The Dying Of The Meadow_ , and some others. And this is Kasumi Nakamura. He's the Ultimate Oracle."

"Cool." Oniyuri nodded. "Nakamura, right?" She gave a small frown. "You want me to fix your hair a bit? It's kind of... all over the place. Keep the look you're going for consistent, there's a lot going on." She gestured vaguely. Nakamura was unsure how to respond to that.

She continued without waiting for an answer. "Anyway, you meet all the others yet? Big group of weirdos."

"Not everyone, but we're getting there." Nakamura replied, reaching up to ruffle his brown hair. What was wrong with it?

Asora waved a hand, sitting up on the table and playing with a salt shaker. "You go on ahead, don't let us hold ya up."

After bidding Asora and Oniyuri goodbye, Nakamura and Suzuki found themselves in the main lobby again. Nakamura didn't really have the time to take the area in when he first woke up, having been so focused on the situation he'd found himself in. The cushions on the couch he fell on were back in their original position, so someone had definitely stepped through.

The breakfast hall had a large table in the center, with numerous chairs that would be more than enough for the Ultimate student body. There were also smaller circular tables with four chairs around each, and a large, spaceous kitchen area. Glass cabinets with plates were lined above the counters, which had clean kitchen appliances neatly pushed to the backs of them. There was a large door labelled 'pantry' and another labelled 'storage closet', and Nakamura idly wondered the kind of items that would be in there given how professionally stocked this room was.

Another student could be seen looking through the fridge. Their back was turned, and their sleek black hair's length easily rivaled Suzuki's. "Seems we won't be low on food," they mused to themselves, glancing at the duo that entered before turning back to the fridge. "That's just even stranger."

Nakamura lightly tapped their shoulder. "Hey, what's your name?"

The student turned around, red eyes narrowing. Their skin was a light brown, and Nakamura noticed a strand of hair fallen inbetween their eyes. They wore a red jacket and a collared brown shirt underneath, a pocket compass necklace around their neck. "You ask for a name without even introducing yourself first?" They crossed their arms in annoyance.

"Oh, sorry. Kasumi Nakamura. Ultimate Oracle."

"...Right." They turned back, closing the fridge.

"..."

"..."

"What about you?"

The student sighed. "Noko Nerune."

Suzuki cut in. "And your talent?"

Nerune was quiet for a moment, before responding. "Why are you interested? To reveal a talent is to reveal a weakness. If this situation is dangerous- and we really should treat it as such -we shouldn't be so quick to treat everyone as a friend." They shook their head. "Of course, I can't stop you, but you should be more careful with the people you meet here."

There was a moment of silence, before Suzuki hesitantly asked "You don't want to give your talent?".

"If that is alright." Nerune replied, but their tone of voice made it rather clear that pushing the topic would not be accepted. "I discovered that this hotel is very well-stocked with food. Whoever put this scenario together intends for us to live here for a while." They nodded in the general direction of the hallways with all the rooms. "If the rooms didn't already indicate that."

Nerune went quiet again, making it clear the window for conversation had been slammed shut. Nakamura wanted to learn more about them, but if Nerune wasn't going to open up, that was that.

The duo had no choice but to turn back into the lobby and attempt to retrace their steps. Upon stepping into the hallway, Nakamura caught the last student walking by.

Her curly, messy long pale blue hair was held into low pigtails with pink bows, and she wore a pink capelet with white fur at the collar and bottom, alongside a ribbon in the center, that covered most of her outfit- which looked like a regular schoolgirl uniform.

"Hey!" Nakamura called, immediately regretting doing so instead of just walking up to her like a normal person.

"Hm?" The girl perked up, turning to the Ultimate Oracle. "Oh, hello." She smiled, twirling a strand of her blue hair around her finger, making Nakamura notice she was wearing red striped mittens. "I don't think we've met?" She cocked her head.

Taking this girl's appearance in, Nakamura noticed her pink and white striped stockings and pink furry boots. Her skirt was frilly and... dangerously short, not at all fitting her wintery aesthetic, but Nakamura wasn't a pinnacle of fashion sense either and was not about to judge.

Suzuki introduced himself and Nakamura for what felt like the umpteenth time that hour, and the girl listened intently. She introduced herself in turn as Bi-Nasu Mimika. "I'm the Ultimate Traveler." She dipped her head respectfully. "I go all around the world, but mountains and snowy climates are my favorite places to go."

"That's really cool." Suzuki complimented. "Travelling would be really fun, though I imagine it'd take a lot of money."

  
"Nah." Mimika shook her head. "Not really. You don't have to have money to travel. It's kinda what people have in mind, but if you're really dedicated you may not even to book a flight!" She clasped her hands with a toothy grin.

Nakamura was about to say something to her, but was cut off cold by a chime sounding throughout the building. "What was..." He trailed off, watching Suzuki and Mimika look around in confusion for the source of the noice, but Mimika suddenly gasped and pointed towards a monitor hung up in the corner of the hall.

"Look."

The monitor had flickered to life, and a shadowy shape could be barely seen through static. Suddenly, a voice began talking, barely audible behind the loud blare of white noise.

_"Did I make it? I'm not too late, am I? Ahem, um..."_

The voice was high-pitched and jovial, resembling that of a toddler's TV show character, but given the scenario Nakamura was not relaxed by its presence.

"Welcome, all Ultimates! We're very happy you made it here safely! May all students report to the ballroom for a special announcement? I repeat, all students please report to the ballroom! Not the Crystal Ballroom, other one!"

And with that, the monitor cut to black. None of the three students present in the hallway knew what to say, but Nakamura knew they were experiencing the deep sense of dread he did.

"We... should go."

\-----

The door was unlocked when they got there.

This ballroom, though similar to the other one in terms of furniture and stage area, had a hashly different aesthetic from the Crystal Ballroom. The planks of the hardwood floor alternated between black and white, giving the room a trippy, odd feeling. The stage was covered by a deep red curtain with bloodstain designs Nakamura really, really hoped were fake, and the only light sources were a few paper lamps dangling from the ceiling.

"I believe that's the last of us." Nerune stated as Suzuki closed the door behind himself and Nakamura.

"It's really kind of weird, seeing us all together..." The Ultimate Ornithologist, Teoya, mused, his eyes scanning the crowd. "I hadn't really thought of us all as a class."

"Wait! Waaaaiiiit." Aimoto, who was on another side of the room, narrowed his red eye and stomped over to Teoya.

"...am I finally taller than someone?" Aimoto asked, looking Teoya up and down and putting a hand to the top of the other boy's head.

"Your priorities are pretty skewed, dude..." Keisuke said, adjusting the collar of his lab coat as Teoya grew increasingly uncomfortable with Aimoto's staring.

"What a strange congregation." Sadako hummed. Nakamura was very thankful he didn't have that night adder out again; while he wasn't particularly afraid of snakes, he doubted that none of the others were, and he really wasn't emotionally prepared for someone flip out.

"What do you guys think that announcement was about?" He finally asked, seeing Kalida approach him and Suzuki. That wasn't necessarily surprising, given the two already knew each other.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." The pink-haired Forensic Artist said with a sigh, eyebrows creased in worry as she kicked at the floor.

"No worries!" Kintaro, the Mangaka, chimed in. "If worst comes to worst, We will not let Our subjects come to any harm!" He spread his arms out dramatically.

"C'mon, let's just stay positive, you guys." Orikaeshi reassured, hand to her heart. "I'm sure nothing bad will-"

The Ultimate Choir Director had no time to finish her sentence as the same silly voice from earlier reappeared.

"Come one, come all, Ultimate Students! Welcome to _Despair Suite_!"

Without giving the students any chance to react, every light in the ballroom immediately turned on, and with a flourish (alongside a sudden burst of black, white, and red confetti), the curtains opened to reveal a... creature, its right side white and the left black. It bore a wide, uncomfortable smile on the darker side. It definitely looked like a teddy bear, but there was an extremely dreadful feeling around it, like it was something that definitely didn't belong in this world.

"So sorry for the wait, everybody! Forced to sit through two boring chapters and 67 paragraphs just to see my adorable little face, what despair!" It let out a high-pitched cackle, and... chapters? What?

"But I'm here now- the one, the only, Monokuma, the supervisor for you bastards' fun hotel vacation!"

The entire room was stunned speechless, and for good reason. Nakamura wasn't sure what to expect out of this scenario, but this was certainly not a future he anticipated. Maybe this was just a chaperone? A really quirky one?

"What? No cheers of applause? I guess kids these days really don't know how to appreciate the classics." The bear... Monokuma, apparently ...shook its head sadly. "How disrespectful."

The first person to speak was Sadako, who for once looked as taken aback by this as the other students. He was clutching the sides of his hakama in balled up fists. "You are... what might you be?"

"I already said it, been-boy, I'm Monokuma!"

"Don't think that's what he meant..." Masu mumbled; the podcaster was either completely unfazed or just too tired to notice the absurdity of the situation.

"What are we doing here?" Mimika raised her voice. She pointed a finger towards Monokuma and shouted, "If this was mandated by the school, we'd know about it! What is this?"

The monochrome bear only giggled in response, a paw to his mouth and laughing as if Mimika's question was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Silly, silly girl! This is no school trip- it's a hotel life orchestrated by your friendly neighborhood Monokuma! You aren't ever going back to school, kiddo! This hotel is _your_ home now!"

Yumina shot Orikaeshi a glare. "What was that someone said about nothing bad happening?"

"I-I couldn't have guessed this would happen!" The purple-haired girl snapped back.

Amara shook her head, crossing her muscled arms. "Cut the crap, you two." She turned her gaze to Monokuma. "The fuck is this? You expect us to live here and do what you say?" She scoffed. "I mean, some of us are total pussies-" she gestured not-so-subtly towards Suzuki "-but that doesn't mean we're all just gonna sit and do what you want. We have families, you know!"

Monokuma's grin somehow widened, a twinkle in his eye. "Weell, there is one way to head back to the outside..."

"Spit it out, then!" Amara stomped her foot in irritation, and the other students were becoming noticably antsy as well.

"Graduation! If you graduate, you run free!" Monokuma laughed, clearly revelling in everyone's anticipation.

"And what would that entail?" Nerune asked as they raised an eyebrow.

Answering them as casually as a question about the weather, Monokuma replied, "Kill someone! You need to kill someone to graduate."

A chill settled in the ballroom. Any sense of relaxation or safely Nakamura was beginning to have among his new classmates vanished instantly. This was beyond anything he could have guessed. Kill? But...

"...what?" he choked out, surprised by how meek his voice sounded. He repeated, "What!?"

"You heard me!" Monokuma chirped. "Kill one of your classmates to leave this hotel, doesn't matter how or who, just get to it. Let's face it, there are far too many of you- I'm sure at least one of you is considering picking off someone you aren't aren't too fond of yet, I know how kids these days can't get along!"

"B-but murder is wrong!" Teoya yelled out.

"Duh-doy, dipshit! That's what makes it so beary entertaining!~ Nobody wants to see a bunch of teens just having a nice time and getting along, do they? Well, if they do, they're boring! What the world wants is murder! What I want is murder!"

Masu looked deep in thought. "So... does that mean only eight people can leave?"

"What, are you considering it?" Amara snapped. "What's wrong with your head?"

"What? No, I'm just..." Masu glanced away, fidgeting with the sleeve of his robe. "Just curious."

Amara continued to pester the purple-haired boy as Monokuma hopped down from the stage, producing a stack of what looked like tablets from seemingly nowhere. "These here are our latest technology, what we here call a Monopad," the bear explained as he handed the 'Monopads' out to everyone. Nakamura very reluctantly took his, turning it over in his hands and looking up to Monokuma for answers.

"It's got all the rules for this trip, a map of the complex, et cetera."

Nakamura pressed the power button on the side, the screen flickering to life as it displayed the name 'Kasumi Nakamura' in white text before fading to a simple screen with the device's different apps laid out. He tapped the icon labeled Rules, and started to flip through.

"Participants - Participants will remain in the hotel building for the entirety of the Hotel Life of Mutual Killing, the only exception being if they are a successful blackened. Food and other living amenities will be accounted for in the event the Hotel Life extends for a longer period of time than expected.  
The current participants are as follows, from A-Z: Atsuhi Aimoto, Bi-Nasu Mimika, Bisuko Asora, Chiyoko Kalida, Hikobishi Kintaro, Kai Oniyuri, Kasumi Nakamura, Kazuya Suzuki, Kotobuku Masu, Masato Keisuke, Natsuko Amara, Noko Nerune, Shin Sadako, Teoya Nakishimi, Toru Orikaeshi, and Yumina Ulmus. List will update with deaths.

Blackeneds - Any participant who carries out a murder becomes a 'blackened', and if they are not found out and voted for by the end of a Class Trial, they will be permitted to leave the hotel while the remaining participants will be executed. One blackened may not kill more than two participants.

Class Trial - Attendance to a Class Trial is mandatory for all participants, the only exception being a case of an unidentifiable victim- in which neither suspected victim will attend to make the trial fair -or if a participant is physically unable to attend. Not voting at the end of a Class Trial will result in a swift punishment, as will violence during a Class Trial.

Nighttime - From 10 PM to 8 AM is 'Nighttime'. The Despair Ballroom will be locked during this time.

Violence - Violence against the chaperone, Monokuma, is forbidden. A warning will be issued at the first violation, but no mercy will be given at the second. Violence against fellow participants, however, is encouraged.

Murders - A Body Discovery Announcement will play when three or more participants discover a body. A period of investigation will follow before the Class Trial.

Rules - The chaperone will add rules as they see fit."

After finishing reading through the rules, Nakamura looked up to find the hopeless expressions on his classmates' faces. He didn't know any of them well, but he knew that none of them would have the heart to kill another, right? Right...?

But deep down, they were all scared kids. Not even adults, just kids put into this terrible situation. Not knowing if they'd live to see their next birthday, or even the next day for that matter. Not being able to see their lives outside the confines of this isolated building unless they killed a new classmate or potential friend.

He saw Aimoto, who had been excitedly joking with Teoya only moments ago and talking with Orikaeshi not long before, step back from the others and raise his hands in caution. Sadako's hands dropped to his sides, yellow eyes wide with anxiety. Fear. Paranoia. Amara's gaze shifted from person to person, her face hardened by a glare but Nakamura knew that deep down she was scared too.

He turned to see a trembling Suzuki. The Ultimate Romance Novelist's eyes were wide, his red irises like pinpricks. He looked up at Nakamura, shaking his head as if to plead and stepping back as if the classmate he'd been spending all this time with thus far was some kind of monster.

_"Please don't kill me."_

His voice was low, terrified, and weak, and before Nakamura could even reply he bolted out of the ballroom and slammed the door behind him. Kalida gave Nakamura a worried look before dashing off after her friend, effectively leaving the boy completely alone.

As he looked from student to student, one single question was repeating itself in his mind, and likely all the others' minds too.

_Is this where I die?_

**Prologue - Looking Into A Despair-Filled Future: END**

  
**Surviving Students: 16**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY YAY!! If I have to write another character introduction I am going to die. This is where I discover I can't write Monokuma very well, but hopefully it's not super distracting, lol.
> 
> I'm thinking of making a report card page or something like that with all the students' names/talents/appearances/etc, because I know how hard it is to remember so many names and the like, especially with multiple prologue chapters.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading Despair Suite's prologue! I hope you like what this fic has in store! ^_^


	4. Chapter 1: Empty Constellations (DAILY LIFE) (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first morning of the killing game is upon everyone, but it seems some participants get along more than others...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please pardon this chapter’s possibly wonky writing style ^^” Writing conversation with 16 characters is really hard, haha.

**Chapter 1 - Empty Constellations: DAILY LIFE**

 

Monokuma had assigned everyone roommates.

 

Nakamura would be glad to find Suzuki as his a few hours ago, but knowing the circumstances they were under seemed to make it ten times worse. Kalida had managed to calm him after he ran out the ballroom, but her comfort couldn't alleviate the fear he must have been feeling. He was silent to Nakamura as they got ready for bed at who knows what hour (which, honestly, didn't take a lot of preparation. They were both tired and hadn't even bothered changing.)

 

The Oracle had dozed off almost immediately after hitting the pillow, but he had a feeling that his roommate wouldn't be sleeping that night. Images flickered through his head of his classmates, and while he didn't grasp them, he had to ask himself if any of them could succumb to Monokuma's rules. New friends went from just that to people he should look out for, or people he should protect from potential killers.

 

Nakamura's dynamic with the others had been flipped on its head entirely in seconds.

\-----

 

Nakamura's eyes opened slowly. He wasn't sure how he managed to wake, given the absence of sun or even an alarm. The room was still dark, and it took a moment for him to realize he wasn't in his bedroom back home. He knew better, but he honestly wanted the past day to have been a surreal dream.

 

Sadly, he wasn't that lucky.

 

There was a knock on the door. And then another.

 

He honestly had no idea what time it was or who it could possibly be at their door. He was about to get up and answer it, but then remembered the exact situation he was in. Suzuki was still asleep. Could he risk it? He decided against it, sinking further into his blankets.

 

"Hey, wake up. It's Orikaeshi. Choir girl. In the purple." The voice behind the door spoke inbetween more knocks. Nakamura perked up a bit. Orikaeshi... she was nice. Could he trust her?

 

"I'm not pulling anything, promise." She continued. "I'm just waking everyone up for breakfast. I don't know if you two are up yet, but... head to the breakfast hall if you can, alright? We'll see you there."

 

Nakamura rolled over in his bed, looking over to his roommate. Suzuki was asleep in his own bed, bundled in as many blankets as he could grab from the edge of his bed. Nakamura was glad to see him finally asleep, but his face looked deeply troubled.

 

He knew he likely hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, and he didn't want to wake him up, but there clearly wasn't any other option. He nudged the sleeping bundle.

 

"Hey, we should head to the breakfast hall."

 

\-----

 

The others were already there by the time Nakamura woke Suzuki up and dragged him to the hall. The other boy was silent throughout the morning, and Nakamura tried to not feel upset by the grave, exhausted expression on Suzuki's face. He knew he was more emotional than Nakamura, and he couldn't begin the comprehend the stress and isolation the writer must have been feeling.

 

Like the first meeting in the Despair Ballroom, it was strange seeing everyone together. Doing a quick head count, the only person who appeared to be absent was Orikaeshi- who Nakamura knew the status of -and that was a relief. Nobody had... succumbed, yet. That was definitely good.

 

There weren't any plates or anything out, so he assumed Orikaeshi was making breakfast. She had already taken on a supervisor role, if her waking everyone up was any indication.

 

"Good mooorning, Nakamura! Suzuki!" Aimoto chirped, his energy still boundless despite the rather grim situation. He was standing on the table, Amara tugging at the end of the jacket around his waist to try and coax him down. Nakamura returned the masked boy's good morning, while Suzuki was still silent.

 

Nerune and Teoya were sat together at the long table's end and talking almost hushedly. Nakamura thought it was a rather odd pair, but he vaguely recalled Monokuma assigning them as roommates. He wouldn't be surprised if Nerune had grown protective of the timid boy, but he didn't figure the mysterious student would be forming friendships this quickly, at least based on their demeanor when Nakamura first met them. It was nice to see the two getting along, regardless.

 

Sat two chairs away from the duo was Sadako, the Ultimate Snake Charmer Nakamura was still honestly terrified of. The snake Sadako kept with him, Suki, was out on her owner's shoulder for the whole breakfast hall to see. Judging by the way Teoya glanced at her in fear every few moments, the night adder was likely the reason he had moved over.

 

Mimika, the Traveller, was still clad in her winter wear despite it being so early in the morning. She was the only one not sat down, bar Nakamura and Suzuki, who were still finding seats, and Aimoto, who was still stood on the table. She was reclining against the wall with her arms crossed and eyes closed, and for a moment Nakamura thought she was sleeping, but she opened one eye when the two boys walked past and smiled at them.

 

"Where do you wanna sit?" Nakamura asked, not really anticipating Suzuki to say anything.

 

"I don't really-" The Romance Novelist's tired red eyes lit up upon seeing Kalida sat alone drawing at one of the smaller tables, letting out a small gasp and grasping the sleeve of Nakamura's purple jacket to drag him across the breakfast hall to the girl in question.

 

Kalida grinned when seeing her friend approach, setting down the sketchpad she was holding onto the table and shuffling the sketching pencils she had out back into their kit. "Mornin', dude." She gave Suzuki a nod, before turning to the other boy who'd joined them. "And Nakamura."

 

"Morning." Suzuki replied, sitting down and pulling up a chair for Nakamura to sit. Sitting closer to Kalida, he found she had been drawing a portrait of a girl. Upon noticing finer details, it looked like Yumina, who was sat not too far from Nerune and Teoya with a bored expression as she stirred a cup of coffee. Nakamura grimaced, hoping Kalida had gotten her permission before starting the piece.

 

Kalida let out a sigh. "This is so weird." Her pale red eyes went from person to person. "I mean... Hope's Peak is pretty big, but an entire class going missing or whatever wouldn't go unnoticed, right? Even without Hope's Peak, I'm sure we're all pretty famous anyway."

 

"We're going to be okay." Suzuki answered, though it was glaringly obvious that he didn't believe it. "Nobody will let this happen to us." He avoided his friends' gazes to adjust his sleeve.

 

"I'd really like to believe that." Kalida was about to pull her pencils back out when Orikaeshi entered the room with armfuls of food- mainly cups of unopened yogurt, muffins still in their wrapping, milk cartons, and bundles of silverware.

 

"Good morning, everyone!" The Choir Director said with a grin, stepping through the breakfast hall and looking at her classmates. Their tired faces were a stark contrast to her cheerful one, and Aimoto jumped down from the table. "I have breakfast. There's some other stuff in the kitchen, too. Does anyone have any food allergies?"

 

Before anyone could answer Orikaeshi's question, Yumina looked up from her coffee cup, gray eyes narrowing in the other girl's direction. "Should we really be trusting _you_ to be making our food? You could've p-poisoned it for all _we_ know," she hissed, "or you m-might... sneak an allergen into someone's food."

 

"I would never do that." Orikaeshi shot the Ultimate Gardener a glare.

 

"Mmhm." Yumina murmured, obviously still suspicious, bringing her cup to her lips. "Suuure." Nakamura could practically hear the eyeroll in the girl's voice. "Let's trust this stranger won't poison us just 'cause she says so in this _killing game._ I'm sure that'll work out fine for us."

 

"Quit it."

 

"I'm just saying."

 

The tense silence between the two girls was broken by an "Oh!" and the sound of someone shooting up out of their seat. Kintaro's hand was raised. "We have a peanut allergy!" The overconfident Mangaka exclaimed, making an 'X' with his arms. "We cannot get anywhere near the toxin!"

 

"Are peanut allergies airborne?" Kalida muttered as an aside. "I feel like that's an ongoing argument in the scientific community."

 

Nakamura wasn't sure how he or Suzuki could possibly have an answer to that question.

 

"Noted." Orikaeshi gave Kintaro a nod. "Anybody else?" She asked, leaning down to an empty chair that was likely meant to be hers, putting a muffin and a milk carton down in front of it.

 

Teoya suddenly spoke up, his voice was as meek as ever. "Not really an allergy or, um... big issue, or anything, but I'm a vegetarian." Nakamura wasn't necessarily surprised by that- the boy _did_ work with birds for a living.

 

"I'm not good with chocolate." Keisuke added, then shrugged. "I mean, doesn't really stop me."

 

Aimoto gasped dramatically, holding a hand up to his face. "How do you guys _live_?"

 

Ignoring Aimoto's remark, Orikaeshi passed the food in her arms out to everyone. Nakamura unwrapped the muffin she placed in front of him. Yumina took hers, mumbling a 'thanks' before standing to head out the door, but Orikaeshi grabbed her by the back of her collar before she could do so and ordered her to sit back down.

 

"We need a game plan," she started, "if we're going to make sure nobody listens to what that damned bear says. First, we should all meet here every morning." Orikaeshi's blue eyes scanned the room. "Are we clear on that?"

 

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the breakfast hall. At the very least, everyone was a bit more alert now that they had food.

 

"Good." Orikaeshi nodded. "Second, everyone needs to keep in touch. Buddy system whenever possible. I know we all have roommates, but keep an extra eye out."

 

"We're not little kids." The pajama-wearing Masu mumbled as he absentmindedly poked at his yogurt with a spoon. "Who died and made you a leader?"

 

Orikaeshi turned when hearing the Podcaster's voice, approaching the other side of his table and kneeling so she was at face level with him. "Nobody," she said, her voice a low growl, "and I would prefer. _To. Keep it that way."_ She slammed the table with a gloved fist for emphasis at each word, her eyes remaining locked with a now unnerved-looking Masu.

 

The room seemed to go silent after that, not expecting such sudden fury from the girl who had been so cheerful thus far. The white-haired Oniyuri let out an impressed whistle, earning a snicker and light jab in the side from Asora, who she had been with when Nakamura first met her.

 

"Anyway," Orikaeshi stood, brushing her long floral-design skirt off and returning to her original spot. "We _do_ -" she looked pointedly at Masu "-need somebody to lead us." She crossed her arms. "Any suggestions?"

 

Nakamura thought Orikaeshi was already acting enough like a leader to the point where he was surprised she even brought it up, but then, he figured, she might have wanted everyone to have an equal chance. It was also possible she only wanted to serve as a chaperone for the first day, to get everyone together at the start. Regardless, she was his first thought.

 

There was a moment of quiet as everyone thought, then Keisuke shook his head. "Do we really need any kinda leader? I mean," he sighed, brushing a strand of his red hair from his face. "I think we can all pretty much function by ourselves. 'Sides, I think a leader would just draw attention to themselves."

 

"...yeah." Masu nodded in agreement.

 

"We nominate Ourselves!" Kintaro cut in, standing from his seat. "We were born to rule, and We will not let any of Our subjects succumb to Monokuma's wishes!" He held his arms out dramatically with a grin.

 

"Kintar-o! Kintar-o!" Aimoto chanted.

 

Nobody else said anything, and Kintaro sat back down, shoulders sagging in defeat. Nakamura honestly felt a little bad for him, but didn't see him as someone fitting for this particular situation.

 

Suzuki seemed to perk up, getting an idea. He turned to Kalida. "Hey, how about you?"

 

"Uh, hehe..." Kalida laughed awkwardly, adjusting her cap. "No thanks. I'm not great with people."

 

After a few more moments of silence, Mimika spoke up, still leaning against the wall. "What about Teoya?" She pointed a finger of her mitted hand to the green-haired boy, who choked on his milk in surprise.

 

"M-me!?"

 

"Yeah!" Mimika beamed. "You're really nice, and you care about everybody!"

 

"U-um..." Teoya wiped his face with his sleeve, freckled face almost as red as his tie. "I-I'm not sure..."

 

"You _are_ very understanding." Nerune said, steepling their hands. "Humble and honest, as well. You have the traits of a good potential leader."

 

"I..." Teoya looked to his classmates. Orikaeshi, who was now sitting at a lone table, gave him an encouraging thumbs up.

 

"I- I mean... I guess?"

 

 _"Are you fucking serious?"_ A voice snapped in protest- it was Amara, who shot up from her seat so fast Nakamura wouldn't have been surprised if it got toppled over. " _Him_? That spoiled brat?" She spat, incredulously gesturing to Teoya.

 

"I'm the Ultimate Sukeban, for fuck's sake!" Her hands balled into tight fists, and her brown eyes were blazing with barely contained anger. "Leading is literally my talent, and your first thought for a leader is a spoiled pussy who can barely say his own name? Have you _forgotten_ the situation we're in?"

 

Sadako looked up, feeling the need to voice his thoughts. "While referring to Teoya as a, pardon the language, 'spoiled pussy' is a bit harsh, I believe we do need someone unafraid to keep us from running loose." A smile crossed his face. "After all, a corpse could pop up at any moment."

 

"Natsuko, please don't get upset..." Teoya mumbled, shifting in his seat and fidgeting with his hands.

 

"See? He's proving my point!" Amara screeched, watching the others for any hint of agreement. Nakamura shuddered when her gaze reached his table. "I- you- he... urghh!!" She babbled incoherently in her frustration, running her hands through her hair. "What the fuck is wrong with you guys!?"

 

"Stop yelling!" Teoya stood up and shouted, trembling like a leaf in a rainstorm. He shakily walked from his table. "Natsuko, I know you're upset, but please c-calm down, I-"  
  


_"Don't tell me what to do, brat!"_

 

With a snarl that likely would've frightened the devil himself, Amara ran towards Teoya at a full sprint, and before anybody could react, there was a dull _thwack!_ as she punched him square in the face.

 

Crumpling to the wooden floor, Teoya held his hands up to his cheek. His eyes were wide with shock, and even across the room Nakamura could see blood start to trickle from the boy's nose. Nerune and Orikaeshi rushed to his side immediately, and Nakamura followed out of concern for his friend.

 

Amara's hand was shaking. Her expression could only be described as shock. Was she going to hit him again? She unclenched her fist and began to reach for Teoya, but the glare she received from Nerune stopped her dead in her tracks. The shocked and angry looks on the faces of the others made it clear she wasn't wanted anywhere near the ornithologist.

 

The boy sniffled, and looking down, Nakamura saw he was beginning to cry.

 

"I'm sorry," he sobbed as Orikaeshi brought him to his feet. His voice was already thick with mucus, and the bruise on his cheek was wet with tears. "I'm so-orry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

 

Amara bunched the edges of her long, tattered skirt in her hands. The look on her face was unreadable as she suddenly ran out of the room, shoes tapping against the floor.

 

The first day of the killing game was off to a rocky start at best.


	5. Chapter 1: Empty Constellations (DAILY LIFE) (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploring hour! Not entirely sure I like how this part came out, but I hope it's somewhat enjoyable.

Nakamura hadn't expected the class's first morning together to go perfectly, but at the same time he hadn't expected someone to be punched in the face right off the bat.

 

Teoya was sat at the table again with Nerune, now holding a paper towel to his still bloody nose. He made a sad sniffle, thankfully not fully crying (Nakamura didn't think his heart could handle that), as he pushed his plate away. Nerune had their arm around the boy, their gaze hard as if daring anyone else to hurt the ornithologist.

 

"That... was upsetting." Keisuke was the first to speak up, still in his seat. "You okay, dude?" He asked, turning to Teoya.

 

Teoya nodded with an "mhm", removing the bloodied napkin from his nose and looking at for a second. "It's... okay." He said with a sigh, putting it back.

 

Orikaeshi shook her head, letting out an exasperated groan. "Amara... so stupid. I get she's upset, but lashing out in this situation is just so..." At a loss for words, she groaned and stomped her foot in annoyance. "Who's her roommate?"

 

"That'd be me." Kalida stood from her seat, putting her drawing kit into a pocket on the inside of her jacket. "Should I go after her?"

 

"Please do."

 

"Alrighty." The Forensic Artist nodded, turning to leave the hall. "See ya guys later," she farewelled.

 

"Come back for lunch!" Orikaeshi called just as Kalida left, but got no reply.

 

Nakamura returned to his seat, glancing over at Teoya as he did. Was he going to be okay? Nakamura wasn't necessarily worried about the punch- though Amara was very strong, he had to admit -but rather about Teoya having to come to terms so suddenly the situation he was in, alongside the fact that he had already made an enemy. Nakamura was lucky enough to be on friendly terms with the others, but Teoya was just so _nice,_ and yet even he had someone who seemed to hate him.

 

"So," Mimika started, removing a spoon from her mouth. "What're we doing after this?" She asked, tossing her yogurt cup into a trash can. It missed, pitifully hitting the ground. "Aw."

 

"We're gonna look this floor up and down." Orikaeshi bent over to pick up the cup, throwing it away. "Try our best to find clues or a way out. We'll meet back up here at noon for lunch and to share what we've found."

 

"Ugh, really...?" Keisuke grumbled.

 

"Ehhhh." Masu put his head down on the table, closing his eyes. "I'm good."

 

"Adventure!" Aimoto yelled, flailing his arms. At least someone was on board with the idea.

 

Yumina covered her ears with a groan as Aimoto raised his voice. "Stop yelling..."

 

" _Adventure_!" Kintaro echoed, twice as loudly.

 

"You're so annoying..." The gardener moaned, putting her head in her hands.

 

"What?" Orikaeshi pursed her lips, putting her hands on her hips. "It'll be fun, you guys! It's better than just sitting in your rooms all day."

 

Sadako stood from his chair, untucking his long white hair from his scarf. Suki was gone. Nakamura honestly wondered where the snake kept going, but the more he thought on it the more confused he got. Some questions were best left unanswered. "I think it's a very nice idea,” the Ultimate Snake Charmer said with a smile. “Before, we were focused moreso on our classmates than the building we were trapped in."

 

Suzuki was looking down, twirling a strand of his hair around a finger. He looked uncomfortable, and shuffled a bit closer to Nakamura. "I guess," he mumbled.

 

Breakfast continued, still a bit awkward, but everyone seemed to at least be a bit more relaxed. As Nakamura got up to put his trash away, he was stopped by a sudden voice behind him.

 

"Could you walk around with me?"

 

He turned to see Orikaeshi. The Ultimate Choir Director smiled, adjusting one of her gloves. "If you're free, anyway."

 

Nakamura nodded and smiled. "Sure, I-"

 

...why was he so comfortable?

 

Why wasn't he hesitating at all? He could feel himself suddenly tense. What was wrong with him? This was a killing game, and he'd just been casually hanging out with these complete strangers, none of which he even knew, like they weren't potential killers.

 

Was Orikaeshi even a person he could trust? How would he know she _wasn’t_ just about to backstab him?

 

"I..."

 

Seeming to notice Nakamura’s discomfort, Suzuki stepped in. “I can come with you two.” His face looked serious, but it then shifted into his regular polite smile. “If you don’t mind.”

 

“Of course not!” Orikaeshi said cheerily, making Nakamura wonder for a second where his concerns came from. “Three’s better than two.”

 

Despite everyone’s complaints, the sixteen students eventually splintered into pairs or groups to walk around. All except for one, unsurprisingly- Masu was asleep at the breakfast table, head resting in his arms.

 

Orikaeshi looked like she was about to shake him awake, but was stopped when Yumina pulled her chair up next to the sleeping podcaster. She shook her head, gesturing to him. “I’ve got this,” she mouthed.

 

Nakamura was surprised by the girl’s generosity, but then felt a bit guilty when he asked himself why he found it surprising. Yumina had just seemed a bit… rough, so far. Perhaps ‘rough’ was the wrong way to describe it, but she wasn’t as sociable as the other girls in the class, so this gesture took him a little bit off guard.

 

Maybe he’d misjudged her.

  


——-

 

“God, this place is weird.” Orikaeshi shook her head as the trio left the breakfast hall. “I just don’t get it.”

 

“You can say that again.” Nakamura said with a sigh. It… really was strange. He understood why him and his classmates might be targets for this kind of scheme- Hope’s Peak was no stranger to attacks like these -but the specifics were lost on him. Monokuma, and this building… they had to be the product of a force much bigger than anything the students could imagine, and the thought of being caught up in something that high-level made his skin crawl. He was an Ultimate, sure, but…

 

He was just a kid.

 

They were _all_ just kids.

 

They didn’t deserve this.

 

Suzuki trailed behind him and Orikaeshi, and looking at the writer’s face, Nakamura was struck with a strange feeling. He was a famous author, an Ultimate to boot, but he couldn’t have been much older than sixteen. It hadn’t occurred to Nakamura before how young they all really were, and yet they were here, isolated from their families and forced to kill.

 

He wouldn’t forgive the person behind their capture. They should be starting their year at Hope’s Peak as a regular class, and yet here they were in this situation. It wasn’t fair.

 

“Do you get cold easily?”

 

Nakamura was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Suzuki’s voice. The question was directed at Orikaeshi, who gave him a puzzled look.

 

“...what?”

 

“The way you dress. You’re wearing arm warmers under your sleeves.” Suzuki moved his hand up and down his arm. “And your gloves.” Nakamura would be lying if he said he hadn’t been curious about that as well. He was no stranger to dressing a bit oddly, but he wasn't walking around indoors like it was winter time. It was only spring- or at least, last he knew? He was unaware how much time had truly passed since he had been taken from his home, but regardless...

 

Orikaeshi was, indeed, covered. Her long skirt reached her feet, and her scarf kept her chin and neck covered. She blinked incredulously at Suzuki as if she had no idea what he could be talking about. She was quiet for a moment, and then turned to look away, pulling up her scarf as if embarrassed.

 

“I… like to dress with modesty.”

 

Nakamura… supposed that settled it? Suzuki didn’t seem entirely satisfied with that answer, but wasn’t about to be pushy, and neither was Nakamura. Tensions were already high enough, what with the fight earlier in the day.

 

Suddenly, a strange buzz came from the Oracle’s pocket. He thought he was imagining it at first, but Suzuki and Orikaeshi checked theirs as well. It was the Monopads.

 

At the top of the display, there was a notification, not unlike that on a regular phone.

  


**Atsuhi Aimoto:** Okay this is a dire situation but gUYS

 

**Atsuhi Aimoto:** WE HAVE A TEXTING FEATURE ON THESE—

  


This can only end so well. Tapping the notification, Nakamura was brought to a simple chat screen.

 

As he did, Monokuma sprung up from the floor, making Suzuki shriek and latch onto Nakamura’s arm. “Ya like it?” The bear’s eye gleamed. “I figured you gosh-darn millennials wouldn’t be able to function without your phones! I’m keeping up with the times, you see?”

 

“I… guess.” Nakamura looked back to the screen. Did they really need a texting feature when they were all in the same building?

  


**Bisuko Asora:** oh shit

 

**Bisuko Asora:** nice

 

**Hikobishi Kintaro:** WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY!!!

 

**Hikobishi Kintaro:** BELIEVE US IF WE HAD SPARKLE EMOJIS WE WOULD BE USING THEM

 

**Natsuko Amara:** huh.

 

**Teoya Nakishimi:** :O!

 

**Chiyoko Kalida:** SQUAD SQUAD SQUAD SQUAD

 

**Shin Sadako:** This Is… Interesting :)

 

**Masato Keisuke:** never make that face again

 

**Yumina Ulmus:** hm

 

**Yumina Ulmus:** aimoto? kid with the mask?

 

**Yumina Ulmus:** redhead that stood on the table

 

**Atsuhi Aimoto:** Yea :D

 

**Yumina Ulmus:** ok

 

**Yumina Ulmus:** changed your contact name. you’re annoying twink now

 

**Atsuhi Aimoto:** D:

 

**Noko Nerune:** That isn’t very nice.

 

**Yumina Ulmus:** you can block me but you can’t block the truth

 

**Kazuya Suzuki:** We’re all annoying twinks here

 

**Atsuhi Aimoto:** tbH

 

**Masato Keisuke:** im a twunk if anything

 

**Bi-Nasu Mimika:** Lol no

 

**Kai Oniyuri:** d e n i e d

  


Nakamura turned to find Orikaeshi shaking her head as she tapped out a message.

  


**Toru Orikaeshi:** Let’s just save this chat for emergencies, alright?

 

**Bisuko Asora:** yea i don’t wanna have to type over everyone all the time

 

**Chiyoko Kalida:** are you kidding me this is the only way i make friends

  


“Yeah, it’s pretty chaotic.” He had to agree.

 

“Glad to see you guys like it! I didn’t want the class _hikikomoris_ to be left out on the fun. Aren’t I so thoughtful?” Monokuma laughed his annoying laugh, before vanishing the same way he came. Under the floors.

 

Somehow.

 

Suzuki was completely silent as he watched the spot Monokuma once stood, before exhaling with a pained “I hate that thing _so much._ ”

 

“ _I heard that!”_ Monokuma reappeared out of nowhere with a bark, and Suzuki yelped in surprise. The bear then vanished again, and an awkward silence befell the trio as they watched to make sure he was really gone.

 

Back to investigating, nothing new of note on the first floor had been found by the three, but they caught Nerune and Teoya behind the reception desk. Nerune was sat atop the desk as Teoya rummaged through a back room Nakamura hadn’t noticed the first time around.

 

“What are you doing?” Orikaeshi asked.

 

“There’s an office back here!” Teoya called. “It’s pretty big on the inside.” He turned around and poked his freckled face- still with a sizable bruise on his nose -out from the doorway. “There’s a nurse’s office here, too! It’s pretty well-stocked, I think.”

 

Nerune nodded, idly playing with the pocket watch around their neck. “We’ll probably need it, given our circumstances.” Nakamura followed their gaze to the inside of the office. “Though I’d prefer it not come to that. I don’t think many of us have medical experience...”

 

“Bi-Nasu might.” Teoya said. “She’s the Ultimate Traveler. She might have some… survival-y knowledge?” He shrugged sheepishly at the end, as if unsure how accurate his guess was. “I dunno.”

 

Nerune added, “I can… maybe help if something were to happen. I took medical classes a while back. There’s a lot of equipment in the clinic too.” They hopped down from the desk, gesturing towards the office with a hand. “Take a look.”

 

Upon stepping inside, the office looked like any other, but its emptiness gave it a very surreal vibe. The presence of a computer made Nakamura’s heart skip a beat- maybe they could call for help! -but his hopes were quickly dashed when he found it served no purpose other than decoration. Was that there _just_ to spite them?

 

Past the office, true to Teoya’s words, there was a small clinic. No paperwork was to be seen, or anything aside from the standard medical supplies to suggest it had been lived in or even _visited_ prior to the Ultimates’ arrivals. Two beds for patients were in the back of the room, and when investigated, the cupboards housed countless small glass bottles. Upon closer inspection, some of them appeared to contain _poison._

 

Nakamura winced, hoping they wouldn’t be put to use anytime soon, but the darker part of him knew everyone would come face-to-face with them eventually. He shook his head, banishing the thought as soon as it came to him, but the anxiety wasn’t gone.

 

“...we should dump those.” Nerune hummed, standing on their toes to look over their classmate’s shoulder and reaching for a dark brown bottle closest to them. “When we can.”

 

“S-stop talking about that kind of stuff.” Teoya nervously laughed.

 

Nerune stopped, letting out a sigh. “It’s preparation.” The dark-haired student said, voice harsher than they might have wanted as they turned back to their friend. “Better safe than sorry.”

 

Nakamura knew Nerune was right, but at the same time, understood Teoya’s discomfort at the idea of someone in their group actually _killing._ It wasn’t something _anybody_ liked to bring up, but he supposed it _was_ better to be prepared.

 

He couldn’t help but feel unnerved at best by the clinic’s atmosphere, especially with these thoughts in his head. He stepped away from the cabinet, eyes on his fellow classmates. Nerune closed its door, walking out the room as Teoya began to trail after them, waving his goodbyes to Nakamura, Suzuki, and Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi gave him a polite wave and smile, but even she looked slightly on edge, as did Suzuki. The topic of murder being brought up once more had definitely ruined the almost comfortable mood everyone had shared.

 

No matter where they went, the severity of the situation hung over everyone’s heads. No matter how hard they tried to ignore it, the to-be students of Hope’s Peak Academy were in the hotel for one reason and one reason only, Monokuma had said: to kill.


End file.
